NBC and ‘Smash’ producers plan live broadcast of ‘Sound of Music’
Network television will soon be live with the sound of music.
NBC announced Friday that it will partner with “Smash†producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron for a live TV broadcast of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s “The Sound of Music.â€
“There used to be a tradition of broadcasting musicals live back in the 1950s, and we’re thrilled to do it once again,†NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a release.
Producers said they have no plans to remake the 1965 Oscar-winning film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. “That would be artistic blasphemy,†Zadan said.
Instead they will re-create the 1959 stage musical as what they call a “classic television event†combined with the “spontaneity of a live performance.â€
“All of the actors will be singing live; there will be no lip-synching to recordings,†Zadan added.
The broadcast will feature classic songs including “The Sound of Music,†“Do-Re-Mi†and “My Favorite Things,†along with a few less familiar tunes from the Broadway version.
Casting will begin immediately and an air date will be announced in coming weeks.
Zadan and Meron are seasoned Broadway vets: The duo produced the film versions of “Chicago†and “Hairspray,†and have earned 12 Tony nominations between them, most recently for “Promises, Promises†and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.â€
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